Starting to exercise when disabled and need suggestions please. :)

[Michellefreeman]

Greetings, everyone!!!

I need a little help. I have been disabled for 5 years with Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, Ankylosing spondylitis, and a ton of other autoimmune issues and pain. I was bed-bound and used a walker & wheelchair for almost 4 years, although thankfully I have progressed immensely in that area. Over the past 11 months I have lost 125 lbs, but haven't been able to really exercise due to health and extreme pain. I want to build my tolerance and increase activity to meet my health goals. My huge goal for myself (and I know it may be really simplistic for others) is to one day be able to attend Zumba classes. That would be soooo amazing to me! I have been paying for a gym membership for a year but have never once been able to face going for fear of failure, embarrassment or just not knowing what I should even do.

If you have suggestions, I would love and appreciate it so much. Thank you. 

[cathm]

Congratulations on the 125 pound weigh loss @Michellefreeman What an awesome achievement 😊

Have you consulted with your doctor on what exercises he/she would suggest?  I would recommend starting there.    

[WendyB]

Congrats on your weight loss that is awesome!

All gyms offer a free session to show you the machines and how to use them.

You should inquire into that. It would help a lot.

But I agree you really need to talk to your DR and find out what is best for you to do

[Heybales]

Excellent progress already. And you deserve healthy heart and powerful body like others can.

From friends with FM part of it (they had a few other things too) - getting past the initial pain of the muscles and knots when starting out was huge - they had experience and knew it would be better on the other side - just had to keep that at the forefront.

Got a self-massage stick/roller, foam roller?

So like anyone starting into a workout, same principles apply, even if the speed by which you can apply them will be below what others can do. Slowly increase frequency, duration, and intensity.

Same way your body is under huge stress already and couldn't take the same level of a diet as a healthy body could, without backfiring and fighting you worse.

Short duration sessions to start with, becoming more frequent weekly. After as frequent as you want, say 3 or 5 x weekly or whatever, can start getting longer duration.

If you do the Zumba, you do as much as is smart (perhaps the 10-15 min of start with warmup level taking most the time). Warn the instructor ahead of time you'll be breaking out early for some, say, required yoga. That way they aren't calling you out if you need help when it appears you are leaving.

Stretching those muscles will be more useful for you.

For many starting low intensity (like weight on the bar) allows hitting a frequency & duration they desire - and then intensity increases.

In your case - it'll be the same - but you'll need to work up to frequency and duration first.

Low intensity will be the secret, as less frequent more intense could really knock you out for days - and that's no good.

Just some thoughts from those that have had success with at least dealing with some of what you are.

Just really keep the point in mind your body can only take so much stress before it's a problem.

The right can of stress in right amounts is what causes it to improve, the wrong kinds is just a stress and not good.

We all have that stress line - best not to be trying to bump against it to find where it is.

Diet, bad exercise recovery, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, disease - all are stresses on body.

You have a stack of things with no control over getting you to that line. Control what you can for the space remaining.

I'd even suggest that to reduce stress - first couple weeks of doing some workouts - eat at maintenance. Don't add the stress of the diet right then.

Could probably use a diet break anyway if you haven't done so yet.

And you might go watch a beginner Zumba class if possible through window if not open floor - no need to feel embarrassed - if you watch people starting out - everyone has to get used to the movements and being uncoordinated and such. Might help you feel more at home seeing that even if you are the only 1 starting out in your class - you know others looked the same way in other classes - therefore everyone is used to seeing it and likely can remember when they started.

Other's may be glancing around, but likely brief even if they are actually looking, but probably just trying to stay coordinated themselves.

And for the future - I'll add some with FM have been able to do strength training. So you got options down the road.

[TraceSPN]

You’ve done an amazing job already, what an achievement!

You know what the hardest thing to do is?  It’s that first step through the gym door.  Once you’ve done that, everything else will be easier.  

So go take that first step.  Go to the gym, and walk through the door.  Then go to reception and ask to speak to a personal trainer.  Sit down and explain your situation and see what they can offer you.  

You can do that.  Goodness, you’ve lost 125 pounds!  Girl, you can do ANYTHING! 

Go take that first step and come back and tell us how you went.   We will be here. 

[eduardaB]

Hello ! 

First things first congrats on the weight loss! always be proud of yourself for that! 

secondly, I myself was thinking about swimming and how It works the whole body without straining it too much. Are you able to swim or just move around in a pool?

[DavideFitbit]

Wow, you have achieved so much already @Michellefreeman! Thank you for sharing your story with us in the Community. 

I have 3 lumber hernias and I know how difficult it is to be able to exercise with pain. It's definitely important not to compare ourselves with others, because our goals will be different to those of someone who is able to workout without pain, but felling motivated and doing something that makes us feel better and happy is certainly beneficial! 

Always take your time, go at your own pace and set short and medium term goals that you can accomplish.. Don't worry about what other people at the gym think of you and always try to keep a positive mindset. 

Let us know about your progress! 😁